Studio 1 (formerly Ramona Theater)
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Studio 1 Theatre on Sunset Boulevard had a different history from the celebrity-filled disco its name might suggest. Built in 1914 in Echo Park, the neighborhood movie house was known for years as the Ramona before becoming Studio 1 in 1965.
German-language films gave way to adult movies, followed by Spanish-language programming as Estudio 1 in 1978. The changing names and attractions kept this small theatre going into the mid-1990s.
UPDATE: This theater was once called 'The Ramona Theater'. "Born
Free" played there during its first release (as well as many others).
A grand old theater. After 1971 (I believe) the theater changed it's name
to "Studio 1", and shortly thereafter began running Spanish
language films. Many thanks to Ron Strong for info. 07-03
UPDATE: After closing, the interior was gutted and the building eventually became the Mohawk Bend restaurant. The theatre frontage changed, but the old movie house survived to welcome a different crowd. 10-26
Perris Theatre (Closed)
Perris, CA Photo courtesy Chris & Ginger
The Perris Theatre brought a movie-house landmark to downtown D Street, with its tower and projecting marquee giving the entrance plenty of roadside appeal. Later photographed under the Chief name, the building recalls the years when a neighborhood theatre could anchor an evening downtown. Even after the movies ended, the familiar entrance offered something worth a second look.
Built in 1946, the theatre served a community far removed from Hollywood’s elaborate premiere-night crowds. Here, the attraction was a local place to catch a picture, meet friends, and spend a few hours away from the everyday routine. Its Art Deco styling gave the downtown block a little extra character.
The building later became a gathering place for the Perris Church of Christ, putting the former movie house to another community use. The Chief name has a Hollywood connection of its own: according to the city’s history, a film crew changed the theatre’s name for a production. That lettering became part of the building’s later roadside identity.
Perris Theatre (formerly the Chief Theatre)
Perris, CA Photo courtesy Ralph Squillace
UPDATE: To the top right is a close-up shot of the facade of the Chief Theatre. 07-07
UPDATE: The City of Perris describes the theatre as closed because of its deteriorated infrastructure. The tower and marquee remain recognizable features along D Street, but bringing audiences back will take more than changing the bill outside. For now, this old Inland Empire movie stop still stands, keeping a piece of downtown’s entertainment history in view. Here’s hoping its next chapter includes another crowd beneath the marquee. 10-26
Century Cinedomes (Demolished)
Orange, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Century Cinedomes in Orange made a trip to the movies look like a visit to the space age. Their rounded auditoriums and large roadside sign promised big-screen entertainment worth leaving home for.
Opened in 1969 on West Chapman Avenue, the complex became known for curved screens and 70mm presentations. More auditoriums followed, but the original domes remained the favorites of many longtime moviegoers.
UPDATE: The Cinedomes closed in early 1999 and were demolished in spring 2000. The domes and roadside sign disappeared as newer multiplexes took over. These photographs recall when the theatre itself could be nearly as memorable as the movie. 10-26
Fox Theatre 1 (Closed)
Inglewood, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Fox Theatre at 115 N. Market Street gave downtown Inglewood a grand movie-house entrance and a sign that could hold its own along the commercial strip. Opened in 1949, it brought the decorative flair of the Fox circuit to a postwar audience ready for a night at the pictures.
Designed by S. Charles Lee with interior work by Carl G. Moeller, the theatre featured the exuberant decoration associated with the circuit’s Skouras-era houses. Its moviegoing years ended in 1989, followed by a long vacancy that left the familiar exterior waiting for another crowd.
UPDATE: The Fox remains a rehabilitation project rather than an operating cinema. Interior demolition and hazardous-material removal began in 2024, bringing substantial changes behind the surviving facade. The building still marks Market Street, but its next opening night remains a chapter in the making. 10-26
Fox Theatre 2 (Demolished)
Inglewood, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Fox Cinema II was another Market Street movie stop, standing across from Inglewood’s better-known surviving Fox. Originally the United Artists Theatre at 148 N. Market Street, it belonged to a downtown where several theatre entrances competed for an evening crowd.
Operating by 1931, the house later joined Fox West Coast Theatres. Its programming changed over the decades, including an adult-film period under the Mitchell Brothers and later Spanish-language movies as Fox Cinema II. The changing names gave one building several identities in the memories of local moviegoers.
UPDATE: A fire destroyed the theatre in the 1990s, and the building was demolished. Unlike the Fox across the street, this movie house left no standing entrance to await restoration. Photographs preserve another piece of the theatre-lined Market Street that has gradually disappeared. 10-26
Studio 1 (formerly Ramona Theater)
Perris Theatre (Closed)
Perris Theatre (formerly the Chief Theatre)
Century Cinedomes (Demolished)
